Backing-plate for artificial teeth.



G. E. FRITZ. I BACKING PLATE FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3/1912. RENEWED NOV. 13, 1914 Patented Dec. 29,1914 W/ r/v 055, 0

citizen of the United rTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

eUsTAv E. rzarTz, on rnonm, ILLINOIS, nssrenon To unzvnnsnr. mTEncHenoLETooTH comm, or PEORIA, InLmoIs, A CORPORATION or rumors.

BACKING-PLATE FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH.

"Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. as, 19141.

Application filed December 3, 1912, Serial 1%. 734,687. Renewed November18, 1914. Serial No. 872,053.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gns'rav E. FRI Z, a 7 States, residing at Peoria, inthe county o fleoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Backing-Plates for Artificial Teeth, of WhlChthe following is a specification.

This invention has referenceto. an improved backing plate forinterchangeable or detachable artificial teeth or facings, and asupport, pin or tongue therefor, said support, pin or tongue beingadapted to a slot or groove formed in said artificial tooth or facing.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a backingplate for an interchangeable or detachable artificial tooth or facing,preferably made of very thin and pliable metal, such for instance asgold or some similarmaterial; said backing plate being adapted whenapplied to the tooth to be easily shaped to the posterior face there of,the cervical border and as a protecting meansfor the bite or. cuttingedge.

A further object of the invention is to provide a preferably solid pin,supporting member or tongue adapted to a slot, or opening formed in atooth or facing to which a backing plate may be secured; and a backingplateof very thin and. pliable metal towhich the pin, tongue orsupporting member may be fixedly. attached,said

backing plate when applied to the tooth be-- ing adapted to be shapedthereto.

The invention has for a further object as 7 p1 an article ofmanufacture,

ing plate and pin, supporting member or tongue therefor; saidbackingplate being .of very thin and pliable metal and said pin,

supporting member-or tongue arranged for connection with said backingplate by being riveted or otherwise suitablysecured thereto. The objectof makingsaid backing plate of very thin and pliable metal is that whensaid pin, supporting member, or tongue is inserted into the tooth orfacing, should said -pin, supporting member or tonguebe too long, saidbacking. plate ;may be bentzback upon itself to enable the filing orcutting off of the supportin 7 member or tongue to adapt it to a toothor acin whereby the backing plate may be shapedtosaid tooth or facing.

That the invention may be fully underoove a combined backthereof.

stood reference is had to the accompanying drawmgin which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa backng pate such as I use and towhich the pin, supporting member or tongue may be attached; Fig. 2 is aperspective view of a pin, supportm member or tongue with means forattaching the backing plate thereto; Fig. 31s a perspective view of abacln'ng plate and the pin, supporting member or ton ue attached theeto,-the view showing that side opening in the tooth and to permitthebacking plate to be shaped to the tooth or facing;

Fig. asectional view similar to Fig. 5,

through the plate; a

with, the pin, supportingmember or tongue I fitting the slot .or

groove inthe tooth or ing. and the b'ac pl t h p to h P terior face, thecutting e e, and the cervical border of the tootln and ig. .7.asectional detail skewing a pin, supporting member or ton eandaa backinlate, illustrating a modified connection, fla en, the pin, supportingmember or tongue and the backing a .7

' Like characters of reference indicate cor- ;part's throu houtthefigures.

1 designates an interc 'angeable, or detach able tooth or facing havingthe'posterior face 2, t e cervical; border 3 and the beveled biting eeat, so shapj dto adapt a backing plate Ito facing is provided withalpiefera tailed slot or: groove 5, extending-into the ooth -or- .facingfrom t I terminating a Suitab e d.is'tance, from the it; nd bp n ng .Eie o th ri i cing J ofimell. known construction, and wh1le I have shownthe same provided with a preferably dove-tailed slot or groove toreceive a like shaped pin.

a cervical border and mm a protecting tip for the bite .of said. toothor facing, and said-tooth or bly doveof the posterior face a supportinmember or tongue, it is to be understoo that the groove, opening or slotin the tooth may be round if desired or of some other suitable shape,and the pin, supporting member or tongue of contour to adapt itselfthereto.

6 denotes a metal plate forming a backing for the tooth, said platebeing preferably of .very thin and pliable metal, such as gold or othersuitable metal, but preferably gold.- This plate may be made of anysuitable size, preferably rectangular in shape, and provided with' theplurality of openings 7, as shown inFig. 1, or the single opening 8, asshown in Fig. 7.

-9 denotes a pin, supporting member ortongue, in this instance,preferably wedge shaped, as shown, to adapt it to fit thecorrespondingly shaped groove or slot in the artificial tooth or facing.Said in, supporting member or tongue 9 is provided with the plurality oflugs or projections 10, as shown in Fig. 2, or with the single lug orprojection 11, shown in Fig. 7. I prefer that the lugs or projections10, or the lug or projection 11 on the pin, supporting member or tongue9 shallbe located on the said pin, supporting member or tongue 9,nearest that end of the pin, supporting member or tongue'which isinserted into the tooth or facing and lies adjacent to, or removed ashort distance from the bite of the tooth or facing, see Fig. 5.

To assemblethe plate 6 and the pin, supporting member or tongue 9 toproduce the article of manufacture which I hereinafter claim, the lugsor projections 10 of the supserted;

porting member 9 are inserted through the openings 7 in the plate 6' andsaid lugs or projections 10 bent down in the manner shown at 12 in Fig.4:, for uniting and positively securing the said pin, supportingmemberor tongue 9 and the plate together.

If the pin, supporting member or tongue 9 has only asingle lug or proection 11, as

shown in Fig.7, said lug or projection is- I member were hollow.

inserted through the opening 8 in the plate 6 and the opposite endportions 13 of said lug riveted down against the plate, in the" mannershown in Fig. 7, for firmly uniting the supporting member and platetogether.

I aim in the present article of manufacture to produce a backing plateand pin, su

portin member. or tongue which shall adapta 1e toany tooth or facinghaving a groove, slot or o ening into which the pin,

supportin mem r or tongue may be'.in-' he "plate may be of any suitablesize and the pin, supporting member or tongue of a length to adaptthe'same to vari- I s zesof artificial teeth or facings, and in theevent of a dentist applying a pin, supporting member or tongue to atooth, said pin, supporting member or tongue being longer than ne orprojecting without the cervical border of the tooth, as shown in l i'g.5, the plate may be cut back upon itself, as shown at 14, in Fig. 5,which will permitthe dentist to file or .cut off the projecting portionof the pin, supporting member or tongueto adapt it to the length of thegroove, slot or opening in the tooth, as shown in Fig. 6, when thebacking plate may be bent down and shaped to saidtooth or facing, asshown. With the plate of the character specified, one that is thinenough and pliable enough to adapt it to a tooth or facing, said platewhen applied to the tooth or facing may be very easily shaped to theposterior surface, cervical border, and the bite of the tooth, saidbiting edge ifpreferred, being beveled so as to provide a protectingtip-of metal for the bite, and any. surplus metal may be trimmed ofi ofthe plate to make a snug and neat fit on said tooth or facing.

In practice, in a great many cases, the v dentist has great difficultyin providing and which they are to be attached. This is entirelyobviated by the use of a backing plate such as I provide, .to-wit, abacking plate that is adaptable to the tooth after being ound. Theadvantage of the solid supporting member or tongue is, that it addsstrength to the tooth, and filling the opening, slot' or Y groove in thetooth as it does there is no chance for secretions lodging in thebacking, which could be the case if the supporting What I claim is:

V As'an article of manufacture, a backing 110' for an artificial toothor facing, comprising a plate of pliable material, and a solidnonintegral supporting member for entrance into a tooth attachedthereto, said plate'bei ing pliable 'to make it' adaptable to a. tooth.115

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature i npresenceo two witnesses. I I

. GUSTAV E. FRITZ.

Witnesses: v GEORGE T. BEAN,

